Top Indian Songs of the week 25th December 2022

This the list of the best Indian songs of the final week of 2022. I have handpicked these songs from over 350 songs across languages and states. 

1. Keh Do Na

Vocals: Karan Verma 

Music: Swastik-The Band

Lyrics: Rohit Joshi, Mohit Joshi

Language: Hindi

Genre: Alt-Rock

Just a couple of weeks left for 2022 to draw to a close and the good music keeps coming in like goods on a conveyor belt. The Chandigarh-based Alt-Rock band has been around for a while and this has to be one of their best work yet. The highlight has to be the scintillating solo on the Violin by Jatin Chhabra. Karan Verma sings pitch-perfect vocals but nothing comes close to the impact of the Violin. Rohit Joshi on guitars and Abhishek Thakur on the bass accompany all along and they spice up things in the interlude. The stanza has some fantastic vocals by Karan, where he not only delivers some very tough high notes but also sings some unpredictable and tough notes. "Bekakar ka yeh silsila mera jo mujhko" and this line is followed by "kyun" sung in very high notes, and then Kunal follows up with a humming in falsetto. Raghav Bhutani is on th3 drums knowing when to pause, and when to smash things at the last 1 minute, especially with a fiery electric guitar solo. The song has the best of both the Alt-rock as well as the Filmi Bollywood styles. Keshav Dhar is the recording as well as the mixing and mastering engineer for the track. 

@swastiktheband @malsonsmedia @keshavdhar 

2. O Rendu Prema Meghaalila

Music Composer: Vijai Bulganin

Lyricist: Anantha Sriram

Singers: Sreerama Chandra & Kids Chorus (Veda Vagdevi,Harshita,Tanishka,Ujjwal,Anagha & Veekshith)

Female hummings: Lakshmi Meghana

I cannot write enough about Vijai Bulganin, it always seems short of praise. He is a serious talent and I can only thank God that such a brilliant composer lives amongst us. Having grown up in the age of Maestro Ilaiyaraja, I have high standards for music appreciation so Vijai should feel really proud of his accomplishments and scoring quality. Just do listen to the opening lines and the title line sung by the children in chorus. The melody is so rich and pure that you will just feel your heart melt. The finer points which set Vijai apart are the brilliant rhythms that you hear when the title line is being sung. Anantha Sriram is the lyricist and along with the kids, Sreeram Chandra is the lead vocalist. Lalit Talluri is at his best, blowing you away literally in the interlude on his Flute. Be sure to hear the delicate but definite bass notes by Shallu Varun in the interlude and he is accompanied by Abin Sagar on the acoustic guitar and Ukulele. Sreerama topples you with his incredible vocal quality and the ghamakas in the high-pitch notes are pure gold. Do pay attention to the Chennai Strings Orchestra in the background with Sreerag Dennies on Strings programming and arrangements, and Enzon being the conductor of the live strings session. Those segments reminded me of Maestro's "Oh Butterfly". The violins are running on riot towards the end and Lalit Talluri finishes the song by playing the song's title notes. Bhuvanesh Narayanan does the Keyboard programming with Balu S on additional programming. Anudeep Dev handles the vocal arrangements and the recording engineers are Anand Gurrana, KK Senthil Prasath and Bhanu Prasad. The track is mixed by Balu S and mastered by Rupendar Venkatesh. 

@vijai_bulganin @anantha.sriram @sreeramachandra5 @lakshmimeghana @rupendar_venkatesh @lalittalluri @abinsagar

3. Kojagiri

Singers - Shreyas Puranik & Aanchal Tyagi

Music - AV Prafullachandra

Lyricist - Jitendra Joshi

Song Composed, Arranged and Produced by AV Prafullachandra

Language: Marathi

Genre: Filmy Melody

There two very important pillars in Marathi music industry are Ajay-Atul and AV Prafullachandra and the two brilliant composers are going head to head with the former scoring for 'Ved' and the latter for 'Godavari'. Last week we had 'Besuri' at the number 1 spot, and this week it is 'Kojagiri' at number 2. I must appreciate AV for roping in a brand new talent called Aanchal Tyagi. People who read my blog last week might be knowing Aanchal from a fantastic crowd-pulling track called 'Saajanwa'. The male lead vocals belong to Shreyas Puranik with lyrics by Jitendra Joshi. This song is so stylish and probably traverses through more than a couple of styles. The initial singing is happening at the lower end of the vocal range and both Shreyas, and Aanchal excel. Jeetu Thakur plays all the live strings that you keep hearing in the background, and he just is strikes you with the creativity in the interludes. AV Prafullachandra is obviously credited with all the arrangements, programming and production work. The lead vocalists also get to explore and exhibit their higher end of the vocal range later in the stanza and it is so impressive to hear Aanchal sound like a seasoned campaigner. The live strings are present non-stop and never for a moment are the arrangements seen even marginally dull. The track is mixed by AV and mastered by Shadab Rayeen. The recording engineers are Rahul Sarma, Samir Dharap and Chinmay Mestry. Listen to the layers of the flute as we come close to the second interlude. Here it is just like a masterclass on how to have live instruments arranged and young musicians can learn so many things just by listening to this track. The humming and the flute are all loaded with quality as we approach the song's outro. 

@aanchalmusic @avprafullachandra @shreyaspuranikofficial @jitendrajoshi27 @shadabrayeen @samirdharap9 @

4. Duniya

Music Composed & Produced by: Salim Sulaiman

Lyrics: Dr. V. Nagendra Prasad

Singers: Vijay Prakash, Salim Merchant

Music Co-Produced by: Raj Pandit

Salim and Sulaiman, I always believe are responsible for spreading the love of music all across the nation and the way singers from all corners of the country are brought on board are worthy of appreciation. The duo composed and produced the song as part of the project Bhoomi 2022. The song creates a setting of a forest dwelling community singing this, with all the high-octane backing vocals by Rajiv Sundaresan, Muheet Bharti, Aditya Kalway, Suhas Sawant, Yashika Sikka, Darshana Menon, Umesh Joshi, Janardan Dhatrak, Aditi Prabhudesai, Dattatray Mestri, Deepti Rege and Archana Gore. The live rhythms form an important component and they are arranged by Taufiq Qureshi and Raj Pandit, but the live rhythm performances are by Mumbai Stamp involving musicians Arun Solanki, Gautam Sharma, Keyur Barve, Jignesh Patel and Omkar Salunkhe. Vijay Prakash can be heard singing about the earth and its residents calling for "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam". Anshuman Sharma does all the additional production. Very few could have delivered this kind of vocal performance, as Vijayprakash is on a roll here. The Keyboards are played by Raj Pandit, and Muheet Bharti is the bassist. It is not only the vocals, harmonies and rhythms, we also have some solid strings and brass section instruments in the background and they are stunning making you speechless. Tanuj Tiku produces these segments and Japjisingh Valecha conducts this session. Vijay performs the Konnakol and Swaras as part of the elaborate vocal performance and you are just glued to it. The recording engineers are Raj Pandit, Vijay Dalal and Abhishek Khandelwal. The track is mixed and mastered by Aftab Khan with Vatsal Chevli as the mixing assistant. 

@salimsulaimanmusic @kaviratna_v.nagendra_prasad @tanujtiku @anshuman.sharma1 @vijayprakashvp @taufiqdjembe @rajpandit17 @muheetbharti @omkr99 @keyurdrums_official 

5. Siva Tere

Performed by Madhubanti Bagchi

Written by A.M. Turaz, Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Language: Hindi

Genre: Ghazal

Anyone who has watched or even been abreast with Bollywood for the last 10 years or more, must know that two very famous movie directors also compose music themselves for their movies, viz. Vishal Bharadwaj and Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Sanjay has scored some amazing music in his recent movies like "Padmavat", "Gangubhai Kathiawadi" and "Bajirao Mastani". The song's opening lines have a resemblance to Kumar Sanu's "Sochenge Tumhe Pyaar" and that is why I feel there is a Raag Yaman influence. Madhubanti Bagchi is a fantastic vocalist, and she has been featured a few times by me in some Bangla songs, but this is probably one of her best. Sanjay uses the slow pace to create that massive impact of the Ghazal form and his generous use of the Tabla, Strings, Sitar and Sarangi all create such important layers in the song's beauty. Madhubanti is in top form singing "Khuda ke liye tu" in 3 to 4 different styles in the stanza, each time adding new ghamakas and improvisations. AM Turaz is the lyricist and he achieves an equally powerful impact with his words as have Madhu and Sanjay. 

@sanjay_leela_bhansali_ @bagchi_mb @saregama_official @amturazofficial 

6. Wildflower

Sung, composed & written: Shrinidhi Ghatate

Music Production: Rhythm Shaw

Mixed & Master: Pankaj Borah

Language: English

Genre: Indie-Pop

There is so much talent all over India, but it is one industry that keeps throwing light in one place where none of these brilliant musicians are existing and performing. Srinidhi Ghatate released an album in 2020 and I loved 3 songs in it. She is an original composer with a gifted voice and when I heard 'Wildflower' I did so without knowing who the artist was. I was getting drawn further and further into the beauty of this. My heart was racing, wondering who this could be, and when I did check my Spotify account, I was like, "Oh yeah, it had to be". Shrinidhi has written, composed and performed the song and production by eminent guitarist Rhythm Shaw. It takes us to the brilliant pop music of 1990s, and I love the notes and vocals when she sings " Really tired of 

you being fake". The mild and stable vibrato as she sings " so you think you can break me", and "I'm like a wildflower from the cracks of pavements" is another example. Rhythm also plays the lead guitars in the background. Pankaj Borah is the mixing/mastering engineer. The Record Label is AHAIBAM Records which handled all elements of the audio and video production. 

@shrinidhighatate @rhythm_shaw @pankajborahb

7. Ninnade Ninnade

Music: Arjun Janya

Vocals: Aniruddha Sastry, Indu Nagaraj, Sanjith Hegde

Language: Kannada

Genre: Semi-classical fusion

How can people especially some musicians not like Arjun Janya. Thaman Or Imman always likes to take up an underlying melody steeped in Carnatic music and then add modern elements and sounds. Arjun is cut from a different cloth as he always makes the core melody and live instruments rich without being straightforward. Last week we had a phenomenal Reethigowla-based song composed by Leon James and sung by Harish Sivaramakrishnan, and I was tempted to say that too probably is set in the same Raga. But Abheri is too close so I waited. Sanjith's vocals are like none other and I wish I could treasure them and keep them. Indu Nagaraj sings the Pallavi with such elan and then the interlude has a modern rendition of "Nagumomu Ganale" which confirms the Raag Abheri influence. David Selvam does the keyboard programming, with Jared Sandhy on rhythm programming along with David. The combination of the Mridangam by Venkat and classical-styled vocals by Indu keep things traditional but Keba Jeremiah on electric and bass guitars along with rhythms westernises things beautifully. I also heard some Ragam Kaapi in the closing stages of the stanza. David also did the mixing and mastering. The second interlude had a beautiful classical humming by Indu after that Aniruddha sings the second stanza. A beautiful connector that helps the stanza land the Pallavi is the combination of humming and swaras. 

@theasrsings @indunagarajofficial @sanjithhegde @davidselvam_official @kebajer @jaredsandhy 

8. Haage Aade Alangina

Music, composed, arranged: Gopi Sundar C

Singers: Vijay Prakash, Keerthana Vaidyanathan

Lyrics: Dhanajay Ranjan

Language: Kannada

Genre: Semi-classical fusion

Gopi Sundar is doing fabulous work scoring music in two entirely different music fields or styles. This is one more fantastic semi-classical number composed, arranged and programmed by Gopi with vocals by legends like Vijay Prakash and up-and-coming stars like Keerthana Vaidyananthan. The song in Ragam Kalyani is mesmerising, and with Keerthana and Vijay we get a solid and steady performance. Sumesh Parameswar plays the lead and bass guitars and the recording engineers are Gabriel'Angelo Fe and Ashwin Prabath and Kuriakose Paul. Midhun Anand does the mixing and mastering with Sreekrishna as a vocal supervisor. Gopi makes sure he sticks to the 'Kalyani' framework right by making this a rich and beautiful track. Dhananjay Ranjan writes the lyrics. 

@gopisundar__official @vijayprakashvp @keerthanavaidyanathan @ranjan_djr @parameswarsumesh

9. Pukaroge

Performed by Twin Strings

Written by Twin Strings

Language: Hindi

Genre: Semi Classical fusion

This Indian music band is one of my favourites for its brand of music. It was started by twins Sagar and Sahil with two more members Mohit Deen and Manav. I don't even have to convince you, go check out their fabulous 'Doorie'. I am so tempted to stop writing this and go check out that song set in Raag Yaman. Sagar plays the guitars, Sahil is on the keyboards and he is a producer. the frontman Manav is the lyricist/vocalist and producer and the sound Engineer and percussionist is Mohit Deen. The Keyboards set the tone of sobriety and longing and it only gets better with Manav's vulnerable-sounding voice. Some engaging lead guitars take the interlude multiple notches into paradise. Manav goes big in the stanza as he reaches for the high pitch. This is where the notes sound very similar to Raag Desh.

@twinstringsofficial @man.musical 

10. Sargoshiyan

Singer/Lyrics/Composer - Anirudh Kaushal

Music - Muheet Bharti & Salim Merchant

Language: Hindi

Genre: Indie Pop

 Anirudh Kaushal has gone almost solo with this single as he writes, composes and sings the tune, and he has got this stature and texture like his doing this for the nth time. I may be wrong but I did hear some Raag Yamankalyani in the melody. The guitars are spot on and they keep the song upbeat and engaged. The mood of the song might be a little melancholic owing to the vocals and lyrics but the music production is what elevates the song thanks to masters of the trade, Muheet Bharti and Salim Merchant. The guitars and Keyboards provide all the boost needed, along with rhythm programming. The humming with multiple layers of vocals and the electric guitar in the background is a fitting end to the song.

@anirudhkaushal_ @muheetbharti @salimmerchant

11. Virisina

Music Composed &Arranged by Arun Muraleedharan 

Lyrics: Rehman 

Singer: KS Harisankar 

Language: Telugu

Genre: Semi-classical fusion

The song has tremendous vocals by KS Harishankar, and time and again shows why he is one of India's finest. Starting with a really low pitch he sounds so convincing even then. The electric, acoustic, and bass guitars are played by Sumesh Parameswar, and Sravan Krishnakumar plays the Violin, Viola and Cello. Gopu Krishnan does a fine job on rhythm and keyboard programming. The interlude has a beautiful chorus by Gayathri Rajeev, Avani, Bhadra and Krithikha S, and as much as I can perceive there is a Saranga Ragam undertone here. Throughout Sumesh is brilliant on the bass and electric guitars. The stanza shows Harishankar's wide vocal range. The Violin and Viola are constantly decorating the stanza in the background, and it is one of the longest stanzas I have heard in recent times. The recording engineers are Akshay Kakkoth, and Sravan. The track is mixed by Sai Prakash with Balu Thankachan doing the mastering 

@arunmuraleedharan_musical @harisankar_ks @parameswarsumesh @sravan.krishnakumar

12. Awaara Ho

Composed, Written, Produced And Mixed By Shashwat Sachdev 

Sung by Shilpa Rao 

Shashwat Sachdev is a producer with a keen eye for Lo-fi music and where he sets himself apart from the rest of the gang is his urge to keep an underlying melody that is rich. The song is heavy with guitars and to suit Shashwat's style of composition and production, Shilpa Rao modifies her singing style, being sudden and flat in her concluding notes. This sounds like Raag Maand to me. Shilpa's magnetic vocals help the song along and she also exhibits her full vocal range singing the title line in a high pitch. The programmed Sitar sounds add beauty in the interlude. The stanza has a further continuation of the original melody seen in the opening lines, and I love how the stanza ends with the lines " chaha tha maine tumse jo", with a surprising shift in notes. Marshall Robinson plays the additional keys, and the song is composed, written, produced and mixed by Shashwat. The track is mastered by Chris Gehringer. The song has quite a long outro as well with Keys and background vocals. 

@shashwatology @shilparao 

13. Mauka

Composed by Murtuza Gadiwala, Rutvik Talashilkar

Lyrics by Murtuza Gadiwala

Produced by Kimera, Rutvik Talashilkar

Language: Hindi

Genre: Indie pop

This was the most impressive track in the EP 'Riwayat' released by Murtuza Gadiwala and Rutvik Talashilkar. The songs in the EP are produced by Rutvik and Kimera. Rutvik has this very earthy voice and his singing style is definitely styled on Arijit Singh according to me, looking at the tone of delivery and even the mild aalap he does after the opening lines. I love the acoustic and electric guitar sounds and the best part is when he jumps up a vocal octave and sings "Mauka de mujhe". Rutvik shines vocally in the number and even the humming in the end comes off quite well. 

@rutvxk @murtuzagadiwala @iamkimera

14. 8 BILLION PEOPLE

Performed by Kiran + Nivi

Written by Danny Berrios, Kiran Saishankar, Nivi Saishankar, SE Berrios

Produced by Supperclub

Language: English

Genre: Indie pop

These twins are not just YT sensations anymore. The way that Kiran Saishankar and Nivi Saishankar sing, makes you feel like you are sitting in the judge's spot at the finale of the American Idol reality singing show. When I hear them I feel proud of their Indian origin as well as how America truly lives by its motto "Land of dreams". The last time I featured the duo was for "1 last bye" and here once again Kiran and Nivi go into full-blast mode vocally. The song has been composed and penned by Kiran, Nivi, Danny Berrios and SE Berrios. The Piano led track sets the tone for a serious and important message conveyed both through words and vocals. The rhythm programming gets kicking midway into the track and I love how there is a constant intervention on vocal harmonies. I have seen many vocalists who try and showcase their full vocal range with a song, but Kiran and Nivi are right up there among the best. Their exploration of the high pitch is phenomenal and feel the pulsating heart when they sing "but now I don't have anyone to ask if I'm alright". The track is produced by Danny and SE Berrios

@supperclubcounds @dannyberrios @se.berrios @briankeim1 @kiranandnivi

15. APNA BANA LE

Singers: Arijit Singh & Sachin-Jigar

Music: Sachin-Jigar

Lyrics: Amitabh Bhattacharya

Programmed & Arranged by: Himonshu Parikh & Sachin-Jigar

Langauge: Hindi

Genre: Filmi Melody

I watched the movie in the theatre and I was quite fond of the music in the movie both songs as well as the background score. It is such a rarity that a movie in Bollywood has some praise-worthy BGM and kudos to Sachin-Jigar for that. Other than this song I also did like "Baaki sab theek". When you hear this song I couldn't help but notice a strong resemblance to "Kesariya", and that could be owing to the two common factors viz. vocalist Arijit Singh and Himonshu Parikh in-charge of programming and arrangements. I love the production and all the arrangements for this one too, especially the part where Arijit is accompanied by backing vocalists singing "apna bana le piya". The vocalists are Rana Mazumdar, Rishikesh Kamerkar, Nueman Pinto, Maanuni Desai & Pratiksha Kale. Tejas Vinchurkar plays the flute in the interlude, although I would have loved it if the notes were different from the song's opening lines. Shirish Prakash Singh assists Homonsu and Sachin-Jigar with programming duties. Amitabh Bhattacharya is another common factor with "Kesariya" and he was wise enough to avoid any English words in this song. Arijit does his usual bit of improvising towards the end and it works well. Himonshu plays the guitars while the uber-famous HashBass a.k.a. Harshit Mishra programmes the bass. The track is mixed and mastered Eric Pillai with an assistant mix engineer in Michael Edwin Pillai

 @sachinjigar @arijitsingh @amitabhbhattacharyaofficial @zeemusiccompany @himonshu @flautist_tejas @watchrana @neumanpinto @maanuni @pratikshakale @hashbass @ericpillai

16. NILA

Music: Keethan 

Vocals - Jimmy Francis John

Lyrics - Jayathi Arun

Language: Malayalam

Genre: Pop Fusion

Keethan is that one guy who gives every music lover something to take home. If you want a pure melody or you want a modern sound that looks trendy, well Keethan has a bit of everything. Jimmy Francis John is the vocalist. We get the perfect picture of a full moon night with its peace and tranquillity as well as the howling wolf in the background. SarAth plays the flute and within seconds the beautiful melody kicks in and it may have some influences of Raag Hamsadhwani. Keethan gets the production spot on with the Keys, arrangements of the Violin, Flute, Cello and rhythms. Shravan Sridhar who has worked before on Keethan's projects once again serenades you with the Violin solo and it is Abel Libisch on the Cello. Jayathi ARun has penned the lyrics and Abel is also the mixing engineer. 

@shravansridhar @sarathflutrix @jimmy_francis_john @jayathi_arun @keethanmusic 

17. DEMONS

Performed by Joel Padikkal, Mikey McCleary, Parth Parekh, Zoe Siddharth

Written by Joel Padikkal, Mikey McCleary, Parth Parekh

Language: English

Genre: Ballad

This song is the saving grace for not just the album but also the whole season of "4 more shots please". Mikey McCleary comes to the rescue along with talented musicians Joel Padikkal and Parth Parekh. The trio have written and composed this engrossing track with standout vocal performances by Zoe Siddharth and Joel. The song is produced by Parth, Mikey and Ishaan Mehta. The deep voice of Zoe makes you feel like you are witnessing a woman fighting her demons and performing her own exorcism. The use of Cello in the background along with the vocal harmonies just blends with the theme brilliantly. Zoe just keeps getting better as the song progresses. 

@mikey_mccleary @zoesiddarth @joelpadikkalmusic @parthparekh003 @ishaankm